The Juice Cleanse - The Finale

(The Juice Cleanse Intro can be found here, and Part One of my experience, here)

Here we are, waking up on the second day of the juice cleanse. Like any normal person after sleeping for a whopping 12 hours, I felt rested. I looked over at Sebastian and secretly hoped he would tell me we could put all of this behind us and pretend like it never happened. 

But if you knew anything about him, you'd know that's just not his style.

Off we went, spending about half the day preparing the juices not only for that day, but for the next too. It was time to reclaim our kitchen back - and when you live in a tiny shoebox apartment, you really need every inch of space you've got available. 

While I juiced, I drank. And whaddya know? The Green Juice wasn't half bad. (Okay - maybe half bad, but believe it or not, the taste improved!) Down the hatch it went. Followed by the second juice, and the eventual third. The headaches, the grumpiness, no where in sight. There was a little procrastination when it came to the fourth (beets, carrots, apple, ginger), which Sebastian actually enjoyed, but I spent my time practicing my breathing techniques until I finished it completely. 

Which makes you realize why the sixth and final drink of the day is Cashew Milk, because, let me tell you, this drink is liquid gold. It gives you that bit of fat and protein your body needs, but also tastes like dessert. I promise you I'm not just saying that because I know the ins and outs of The Green Juice. Literally.

For the most part, the second day of the cleanse went along without any problems. If I had any complaints, it would be the cravings. Our friend stopped by for a visit and mentioned a new burger joint that we should check out, and I swear, if he let me gnaw on his arm, I would have. All I wanted was junk. Cheese, fries, chocolate, candies, you name it! If it was bad for me, I wanted it. 

It made me realize just how much my body is addicted to all these sugars and fats. At times, it would really consume my mind, and even though I didn't actually feel hungry, I wanted to eat. It felt like I was putting myself through junk food rehab.

So what did I do to take my mind off it? I watched Hungry For Change. A documentary that deserves a whole lot more than a quick mention, but that's another topic for another day. (Seriously - just watch it. It will change your life!)

The third (and final!) day was more or less the same - a lot of craving, a lot of peeing, and the taste of each juice was better than the day before - but I won't bore you with the details.

My final thoughts? After completing the full three days, I didn't have any jolts of energy, I didn't feel more alive, and well, I didn't feel very different at all. What I can tell you, is that while I don't feel like a different person, I do notice the difference in my body.

In those three days, I lost just over 4 pounds (and I'm consistently maintaining my new weight), I no longer look and feel bloated, and just in general, everything is functioning better. 

I think it's important to not think of this as a "quick fix" - do it, be done with it, and go back to your old ways. If this cleanse is something you're seriously thinking about, do it to give yourself a kick start to an entirely new way of living. Throw your bad habits out the window, and adopt a new, healthier lifestyle.

Are you thinking that you would never have the willpower to do something like this? Well, you do. If you immediately think you can't do something, you've already put the nail in your coffin so-to-speak. I, for one, have approximately 5% of willpower, and 95% of "I do what I want!" So if you're like me then here's two simple things that worked for me...

1. Find a friend - Having Sebastian as my support system made all the difference. The first day was, without a doubt, the hardest thing to go through and then actually continue with the original plan. Without him, I would've given up. Plain and simple. Find someone who will push you and encourage you. And maybe even yell at you to finish that damn drink already. 

2. Get Motivated - When you're in a moment of desperation, or in this case, a moment of "hunger", it's easy to think of how amazing it will be to crack open a bag of chips and cheat just a little bit. Motivate yourself to stay on track. Watch Hungry for Change, read Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet, and understand all the real reasons why you're doing what you're doing.

By taking three days out of my life to dedicate to my health, I not only completed the juice cleanse, I educated myself on food, nutrition, and the power of thought, which has given me an entirely new outlook on what I put into my body and how it's going to effect me. This is, by far, the most fantastic "side-effect" that could have happened. One that's already changing my life for the better.

If you're interested in getting started, click "Read More" for a start-up shopping list and a quick peek inside my fridge...

The Juice Cleanse - The (True) Beginning

(If you missed the introduction to The Juice Cleanse - you can catch up right here:)

Let me preface this post by saying that before I began this cleanse, I was incredibly stoked and figured it would be a walk in the park. After all, it was only three days, and I was nurturing my body more than I ever had before. I wasn't suppose to be hungry. It was going to be all rainbows and butterflies and I'd have wonderful life-altering epiphanies and I'd wake up full of energy and ready to take on the rest of my life!

Oh boy, was I ever wrong. In fact, I don't think I could have been more wrong about anything else in my life than in these moments.

Now, let's take a trip back in time. The day before the cleanse was about to begin. I had everything ready - all the necessary tools, the shopping list, and most importantly, a plan. Sebastian and I set out to the nearest grocery store and stocked our cart full of everything we would need for the three day cleanse. My eyes widened as I looked down at it all - I knew it was going to be a lot, especially because everything was being doubled since we were doing this together - but, whoa. I thought the cashier's eyes were going to pop out of her head and wonder what sort of crazy people we were. But she didn't. Which left me slightly disappointed.

I wanted to proudly shout, "Hey! Look at what we're buying! Yea, that's right. I'm buying kale! And beets! And ginger! And 9 batches of celery! And 42 green apples! Did you notice there's no junk food?" And continue to bask in my own pride.

...But I withheld.

Once we got home, I had time to whip up the first three juices for the next day. "This is going to be awesome." I smugly thought to myself and with a great sense of pride, I packed them up, stuck them in the fridge, and anxiously awaited the following day.

At the sound of the alarm, I shot out of bed and was ready to get started! (Keep in mind, this was the day of Sebastian's surgery to get his wisdom teeth out, so since he couldn't consume anything before it, he started with the second juice later on.)

I grabbed my first cup out of the fridge, The Green Juice, took one swift jug, and... what the...

It was repulsive. I made this blatantly obvious by making "yucky" faces while I slowly sipped on this leafy concoction, which only made Sebastian even more excited to give it a try later on. Obviously. But seriously, did I really expect all of this to taste good? Maybe being an optimist isn't more beneficial after all. It was a struggle to get down. From beginning to end it probably took me about two hours to finish completely. With attempts like, "plug your nose, take a drink" and "inhale completely, take a drink, exhale completely. Just like a shot." It wasn't my finest moment.

I will also add, since this is the honest account of what happened, that it made me pee. A lot. While I waited for Sebastian's surgery to be over, which took a grand total of 45 minutes, I had to run off to the bathroom three times. Three times! I'm pretty sure the dental staff thought that I had some serious bladder issues but moving on...

The second juice was apple, pineapple, and mint which was (thankfully) delicious, and I downed that one pretty quickly. By this point I had a mild headache (which is pretty common for me if I don't eat) but I wasn't hungry at all and was just drinking so I could keep up and finish all the juices for that day.

The third juice, and this is where it went all down hill - was The Green Juice again. I'm not going to sugarcoat this - I wasn't looking forward to it. Not even a little. And once it touched my lips, I cringed. All of a sudden I felt extremely nauseous and my headache was only beginning to amplify. I tried to stay strong and keep going, and managed to get down about half of The Green Juice when...

...let's just say that no matter how repulsive you think it is going down, the reverse is about one hundred times worse.

Here I was, supposedly "playing nurse" for Sebastian after his surgery, and here he was rubbing my back and consoling me, asking what I needed. Great job, Allie. I never thought it would be possible that I'd actually feel worse than he did. (My conclusion? He is clearly a freak of nature:) 

And so, I cheated. At around 4pm, I had half a bagel to try to calm my stomach down. Which only kind of worked. Afterwards I sipped on my Spicy Lemonade and that mild headache was slowly turning into a mild migraine. The kind where it feels like your brain is pulsing and your eyes feel like they need their own personal massage. So much for my life-altering epiphany. 

The final two juices of the day were sipped on but never finished. The day was spent on the couch. The plan was to spend the evening making more juice for the next day, but true to form, plans rarely ever stay perfectly on track. I had zero energy, was grumpy, my body was aching all over, and I'm pretty sure somebody smashed a hammer over my head. I wanted to give up. All I could think about was giving up.

And yes, while I realize that I'm being a little dramatic over here. I mean, hello! It was only the first day. I felt defeated and disappointed in myself. At this point, I didn't think I could continue, and well... I felt so bad that the thought of ending it didn't even bother me anymore.

...Then I passed out at 8:30pm and slept for an entire 12 hours. 

To find out what happened, you'll have to check back tomorrow for the final post! (This ended up being way longer than originally anticipated and I don't want to completely bore you to tears:) 

UPDATE: Click here for The Finale.

The Juice Cleanse

You may not know it, but we can be pretty hard on our bodies. Day after day, we’re not eating enough vegetables, not getting enough vitamins, and pumping ourselves full of sugar. It’s hard to avoid because the products we’re being sold are full of ingredients that really aren’t that great for us. Overtime, those toxins can build up and cause much more harm than good. For this reason, and many, many others, cleansing your body is an awesome way to keep you happy and healthy!

For months now, I’ve been wanting to do something. I knew my eating habits were not up to par and by the time I hit that 2pm wall, I’m left feeling tired and sluggish. I needed to treat my body the way it should be treated, I needed more energy, I needed that extra spring in my step! But alas, the thought of doing a cleanse is a little daunting. Do you remember when Sebastian did The Master Cleanse? Yea, not for me. I need food. Sebastian calls it “the fat aches”. I just don’t function without it and bringing me to the point of extreme hunger can be scary.

Then, miraculously, I was inspired by a post over at The Daybook about The Blueprint Cleanse. Have you heard of it? The jist? 6 juices a day for 3 days. Full of everything your body needs so you’re not left feeling hungry. The juices are designed to supply you with “vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are quickly absorbed and easy to assimilate.” It looked perfect. For three days I would fill my body up with the nutrients that it was being deprived of, and get rid of all that crap that’s built up over time. I’d feel more energetic, more alive, and I’d wake up knowing that I was doing something good for myself.

Then I saw the price tag. Not that I don’t think it’s a great service, but whoa. It is freaking ex-pen-siiive. I couldn’t justify spending that sort of cash and was left feeling disappointed and defeated. Until I realized that Google is everyone’s modern-day best friend.

And so, I hacked The Blueprint Cleanse. The “Renovation Cleanse” to be exact, which is the beginner’s step. The order of the juices are: Green Juice, P.A.M., Green Juice, Spicy Lemonade, C.A.R., and Cashew Milk.

Interested in giving it a go? Here’s how the program starts off:

GREEN JUICE

This is six pounds of leafy wonder packed into this powerful selection of celery, cucumber, green apple, kale, lemon, parsley, romaine and spinach. This is easily replicated like the other juices as well.

For the same 16 ounces, gather organically-grown:

§  5 Ribs of Celery

§  1 Cucumber, Halved

§  2 Large Green Apples of Your Choice

§  3 Kale leafs

§  1 Ounce of Lemon juice

§  1 Handful of Parsley

§  3 Romaine leafs

§  1 Handful of Spinach

Just blend the ingredients together with a bit of water. This is to aid in loosening everything together, but not to change the consistency. When draining the mixture, use the pouch to catch the fiber, as we are only interested in the juice part. Make sure you press out all the juice. Fill that glass!

Click here to unveil the rest of the recipes for yourself. Keep in mind, it’s a lot of hard work and will take a fair bit of dedication to do it yourself. Sebastian and I did the cleanse together, so everything was doubled, but we ended up saving ourselves more than five. hundred. dollars. Totally worth it.

Check back for an inside look into my fridge, the shopping list you’ll need to get started, and exactly what my experience was like. The true, no holds barred version of my experience.

Have you done The Blueprint Cleanse before? Or any cleanse for that matter? How was it?

 

The (True) Beginning - The Finale